The Four Pillars of Recovery

This book is a guide for those who are contemplating or attempting to recover from addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. Addiction is a pervasive and devastating condition that not only destroys the individual lives of the addicts themselves, but also deeply and negatively affects the lives of those closest to the addict, including their family and friends. Addiction leads to an unraveling of the social fabric of our communities through the crime and lost productivity that accompany drug/alcohol use and addiction.

Addiction is so pervasive in our society that I can safely say that probably every one of us has known someone who is or has been addicted or has personally been affected by someone who is or has been addicted. Indeed, it is estimated that almost one in ten individuals in the United States has a current addiction or will become addicted in their lifetime. I have decided to write this book as someone who has more than just a professional interest in the study of and treatment of drug and alcohol addiction, but also as someone who has a very personal and deep investment in this topic. Besides being a medical doctor who has undergone many years of education and training in the study and treatment of addiction and its medical consequences, I am also a recovering alcoholic who has been in active and sustained recovery for nearly twenty-five years. Most of what I have to say in the following pages comes from what I have learned through my personal experience in the living hell of my addiction and the salvation that was my recovery.

Dr. John Vigil is a board-certified physician in Addiction Medicine and a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He is the founder and past president of the New Mexico Society of Addiction Medicine and is the current treasurer. He is certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors as a Master Addiction Counselor, a NAADAC-certified Substance Abuse Professional for the Department of Transportation, and a HIMS-trained Airman Medical Examiner. Dr. Vigil is in private practice in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has practiced medicine and surgery for over 30 years. He specializes in the outpatient treatment of addiction disorders and has helped hundreds of patients reach recovery from their addictions over the last 17 years. He is also the medical director of New Mexico Wellness Center, which is a residential treatment facility for the treatment of addiction disorders. He is on the volunteer faculty for both the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Vigil has been in long-term recovery himself for over 24 years.